Wildrose, Progressive Conservative parties to merge with 95% approval

The NDP will face a single united conservative force in the next election, after Alberta’s Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties voted overwhelmingly on the weekend to merge forces.

Both parties secured more than 95 per cent pro-unity votes from their members.

As unity wins were declared in Red Deer at a Wildrose special general meeting, and in Calgary at a PC celebration, rooms erupted with raucous cheers from party supporters.

The next step on the agenda is a joint caucus meeting on Monday in Edmonton, where MLAs will pick an interim leader.

Soon after that, the United Conservative Party will be registered with Elections Alberta.

Then comes a leadership race.

At this point, Brian Jean and Calgary lawyer Doug Schweitzer are the only candidates who have thrown their hat into the ring.

Jean’s unity celebration speech was his last as Wildrose leader, he told the crowd Saturday, before declaring his goal to be Alberta’s next premier to cheers of “Brian, Brian, Brian.”

“With tonight’s vote, the NDP’s time in government is ticking down, and ticking down quickly,” he told the crowd.

“Together, we will send a message to all of Canada that Alberta is not apologizing for our industries or our way of life.”

Tory Leader Jason Kenney was more circumspect, saying Saturday was a time to celebrate the unity vote; ask him about his intentions on July 23, he said.

“This campaign is bigger than any individual,” Kenney said – it’s about the province and its future.

Jason Kenney announces the result of the unity vote by Alberta PC’s who voted 95% in favour of united with the Wildrose Party.Gavin Young /
Postmedia

The numbers

The unity question was the catalyst for the Wildrose party’s first special general meeting — and its last, given the results.

It was the first party to declare the result, after an eight-hour online vote marred by issues with the personal identification numbers each member needed to cast a ballot.

According to the Wildrose Party, 24,598 votes were cast in the unity vote — 57.7 per cent of members. Of those, 23,466 voted yes and 1,132 said no to unity.

Party brass scrambled Friday and Saturday, pleading on social media for volunteers who could man the phone lines and help distribute PINs to those who didn’t receive one in time.

Other members received two PINs, but party president Jeff Callaway was confident the Wildrose credential committee managed to catch all duplications before the vote kicked off at 8 a.m.

On the Tory side, 27,060 members voted, with 25,692 giving unity the thumbs up.

Death of a party

The historic vote means the death of the Tory political dynasty that ruled Alberta for 44 years.

The Progressive Conservative party had been on life support ever since the 2015 election, when it was decimated by the NDP, losing 60 seats as the Wildrose party stepped into the role of official opposition.

The PC and Wildrose parties aim to come together under a United Conservative Party umbrella as soon as possible, but both will officially flat-line in 2019; only a party that runs a candidate can remain registered under Elections Alberta rules.

At the Wildrose special general meeting Saturday morning in Red Deer, many said they were spurred to vote yes for unity by the prospect of a second NDP term, which to them would mean the guaranteed ruination of Alberta.

During a pre-vote debate about the motion, the number of pro-unity speakers vastly outweighed those against. And yet, so close to marking their ballots, many still had questions – just how grassroots would this new party be?; were Kenney and the PCs cashing in on fear to secure their plan? – and an inherent distrust of the Tories.

In the end, members of both parties held their noses and voted yes for the unity, putting behind them the bitter split that created the two groups, and the resulting decade of rifts and sometimes-personal feuds.

In a nod to past schisms between the parties, Kenney said Saturday night the vote was “not an ending, merely a new beginning where we learn from our past mistakes.”

“The writing is on the wall,” he said.

“This accidental NDP government will be a one-term government.”

Wildrose leader Brian Jean celebrates the yes vote following the party’s vote on uniting with the Progressive Conservatives, in Red Deer Saturday July 22, 2017. David Bloom /
Postmedia

A unity supporter reacts after the Wildrose party voted in favor of uniting with the Progressive Conservatives, in Red Deer Saturday July 22, 2017.David Bloom /
Postmedia

Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt reacts as it is announced that the wild rose party has voted to unite with the Progressive Conservatives, in Red Deer Saturday July 22, 2017. David Bloom /
Postmedia

Related

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.